This week my mind is busy with a few to-dos: write today’s story for the blog and get started on taxes! For those of you living abroad and beginning your taxes, I’ve had a good experience with ExpatFile. It’s straightforward, efficient, and costs significantly less than many alternatives. Visit ExpatFile for more info. Now, onto today’s chapter. Enjoy!

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TODAY’S WORD: le pigeonnier : dovecote, pigeon house

PRONUNCIATION: [luh pee-zhon-yay]

Example sentence:

Le pigeonnier se trouvait en contrebas, rempli de pigeons prêts à prendre leur envol.

The dovecote stood below us, filled with pigeons ready to take flight.

A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse

After two and a half months working for a winery in South Africa, Jean-Marc finally made it home to France. The journey back was long, with its share of airport hiccups, and he arrived tired, carrying a quiet sadness.

A new chapter in his life is beginning—one without Fred, his best friend of 45 years. Time with friends and family helped ease the landing. And this past weekend, a little getaway to celebrate his 59th lifted his spirits.

For our two-night périple, we returned to Le Rayol-Canadel, a sleepy seaside town just an hour up the coast from La Ciotat. We first discovered this bijou with my dad and Marsha, and loved it so much we’ve come back a few times since.

The sandy beach—a small cove—sparkles with agate stones. Above it, houses climb the lush hillside, each with its own quiet charm. A single road runs through town, lined with real estate agencies, a seafood restaurant/café, and a tabac stocked with fine wine, good books, straw hats, and chocolates.

One of the main attractions here is the botanical garden, le Domaine du Rayol. Spread across twenty blossoming hectares, it stretches along the sloping coastline, with views over the Îles d’Hyères.

We bought tickets Saturday morning and began the tour with a short video near the entrance, learning about the microclimate and the Mediterranean regions it mirrors—even California, Chile, South Africa, and New Zealand—each representing a similar biome, or ecological environment.

Wearing a t-shirt and swim trunks (ever ready to take a plunge), Jean-Marc navigated with a large foldout map while I wandered from one sentier to another. The scent of eucalyptus perfumed the salty air as we hiked above the coast, past towering natives, palms, and cacti. Hillsides were dotted with lavender, capucines, and irises, along with small signs—le saviez-vous?—sharing bits of trivia about the plants, their uses, and their history.

By the time we reached the water, we were ready for a rest.

In front of the Maison de la Plage, we settled into a pair of blue metal chairs and gazed out toward Île du Levant. It was quiet, the kind of calm that follows a good walk.

That’s when I heard it—a sudden flapping.

I leaned forward and peered over the low sea wall. Below us stood an old pigeonnier, and around it, dozens—no, hundreds—of pigeons.

A few staff members from the Domaine were busy at long tables. At first glance, it looked as though they were tagging the birds. Spread out before them were tiny devices—like metal chips—and rows of small glass bottles with droppers.

A sign nearby read: COURRIER PIGEON.

Jean-Marc, map still in hand, located the spot below us.

“Apparemment, it’s another ecological initiative: le retour du courrier pigeon.”

“Pigeon mail?” I laughed. “Well, maybe—just maybe—those birds could finally deliver my letters to America…” Given the current postal freeze here in France (no stamps to the U.S. jusqu’à nouvel ordre), this might be worth investigating.

Curious, we took the steps down.

Up close, there was a small stand of postcards. For 20 euros, you could take part in the green initiative: choose a card, write your message, then apply a few drops of something called Encre Magique™.

I watched as a woman demonstrated. A few drops onto the paper—and the letter began to shrink—until it was small enough to slip into a tiny vial attached to the pigeon’s leg.

At the destination, another drop would restore it to full size.

Jean-Marc raised an eyebrow.

“But how,” he asked, “does a pigeon fly all the way to New York?”

One of the staff gestured toward the small devices laid out on the table.

“A bit like those electric skateboard boosters or bike batteries,” he explained, “only adapted for wings. The AeroAssist™ Wing Module includes an electronic puce, giving a little boost when the bird tires.”

Jean-Marc looked unconvinced.

I, on the other hand, picked out a postcard depicting some colorful fish and quickly wrote a note to my sister in Colorado.

I watched, fascinated, as the drops shrank my message to the size of a postage stamp. A handler slipped it into the vial and gently secured it to the leg of a rather bored-looking pigeon.

At the next table, I noticed a few select items from the botanical garden shop. The handler explained these, too, could be sent parcel pigeon, thanks to the shrinking solution.

I pointed to a book for my sister Kelley, a hammock for Dad and Marsha—and perhaps those binoculars for my aunt and uncle in San Francisco.

“It’s not going to work,” Jean-Marc said, shaking his head.

“Well,” I smiled, “if it does…”

The first pigeon will reach Denver on April 1st, in time for my sister to receive a note that reads:

“Poisson d’avril!”

Beside me, Jean-Marc shook his head. As we turned back toward the path, I noticed something I hadn’t seen in weeks—

he was smiling.

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NOTE: In France, April Fools’ Day is known as Poisson d’avril—April Fish. The tradition includes playful pranks, such as secretly taping a paper fish onto someone’s back. Once discovered, the prankster calls out: Poisson d’avril!

EDITS WELCOME
If you spot a typo, mistake, or ambiguity, thank you for letting me know at Kristin.espinasse@gmail.com

FRENCH VOCABULARY 

le périple = journey, trip

le pigeonnier = dovecote, pigeon house

le tabac = tobacco shop

le Domaine du Rayol = botanical garden in Le Rayol

le sentier = path

le saviez-vous ? = did you know?

la capucine = nasturtium

la sieste = nap

jusqu’à nouvel ordre = until further notice

le courrier pigeon = pigeon mail

la puce = microchip

l’Île du Levant = island off the coast of Hyères

le poisson d’avril = April Fools (April Fish)

REMERCIEMENTS
Thank you to the following readers for your donation this past week to this journal!

Midge & Dick F.

Whether you’ve been reading for years or just stumbled upon this little corner of France, thank you for being here. These stories continue thanks to reader encouragement. If you’d like to help maintain this journal, here are a few simple ways:

🌿 Zelle – to Kristin.espinasse@gmail.com
🌿 PayPal – Click here
🌿 Credit card – Click here

Gift the book A Year in a French Life to a friend. It’s packed with colorful photos and vocabulary.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with author Gayle Padgett Smith and husband, birdwatcher Ralph. Over coffee we discussed writing, publishing, and the joy of sharing stories. Check out Gayle’s latest book, Pleasures of Provence: A Quest for the Secret to Joie de Vivre in La Belle France

Thank you very much Perfectly Provence, the food, lifestyle and Mediterranean living magazine for reviewing our book! Check out the article and be sure to sign up to the Perfectly Provence newsletter.

Bye for now. Our daughter, Jackie, will be back next week with a story about a couple of hapless thieves…don’t miss it and, until then, Happy April 1st! Have fun pranking your loved ones.